We hope you enjoy these top news stories about TFAS activities, alumni and events this week. Please visit us on social media for additional up-to-the-moment TFAS news and information and sign up for our newsletter to receive weekly updates.
Don’t forget to visit our “Quick Links” to see TFAS alumni, staff, faculty and friends who are writing and making today’s headlines.
Meet the Two Venezuelan Exiles Warning College Students Against Socialism
When Jorge Galicia and Andrés Guilarte tell college students socialism is no utopia, they speak from experience.
The College Fix featured the two Venezuelan activists and their work to warn college students about the dangers of socialism through the TFAS-sponsored campus lecture series, “Venezuela: My Story … Your Future?”
TFAS alumna Jennifer Kabbany, Novak ’02, interviewed Galicia and Guilarte for the piece and shared their insights as two young intellectuals who were born and raised in Venezuela and over the last decade saw their country transformed into a place they barely recognize.
We used to be just like everybody else. But now [in Venezuela] we’ve ended up at the bottom of every single economic index you can find. You don’t have to take for granted your liberties — and you don’t have to wait until you lose them to fight for them.”– Andrés Guilarte
TFAS launched the speaking project last October to help Galicia and Guilarte share their stories with young people on college campuses across the United States. To learn more about the lecture series and our speakers, read the full story at TFAS.org/VenezuelanWarning.
You can also catch Galicia and Guilarte this Friday, Jan. 17 at 8:35 a.m. ET on AM 560 WIND Chicago – the Morning Answer with TFAS alumnus Dan Proft ’93 and Amy Jacobson. Listen live at: https://www.conservativeradio.com/news-talk/wind.html
Searching for High School Leaders to Study Economics at Prestigious College Campuses
Do you know any eager young students looking to further their education and develop essential leadership skills? TFAS is now accepting applications for our Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE) 2020 summer programs held at prestigious college campuses nationwide including Yale, UC Berkeley, Brown University and more. 2020 Summer Programs Include:
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FTE students discuss economic principles during a session at Tufts University. Economics for Leaders (EFL) teaches rising juniors and seniors to integrate economics into decision making.
- Economic History for Leaders (EHFL)) teaches students the economic way of thinking to better understand pivotal events in American history.
- Entrepreneurship in the Global Economy (EGE) provides students with an understanding of economic concepts that explain human behavior and drive the global economy.
TFAS and FTE alumni and friends are encouraged to nominate outstanding high school sophomores and juniors to apply. Nominated students will receive a tuition discount and priority consideration for admission to the program of their choice. To nominate a student, visit FTE.org/Nominate.
To learn more about the programs, application deadlines and how to apply, visit TFAS.org/FTEApply2020.
TFAS Alumnus Reflects on the Fall of Communism in Central Europe 30 Years Ago
Zhikica “Zach” Pagovski ’10, PPF ’12, was born in communist Yugoslavia just before the fall of the Soviet Union. In a piece for International Policy Digest, Pagovski reflects on how the events leading up to his birth and his eventual study of American principles as a TFAS student gave him a unique perspective and appreciation for ideas that were not readily available to a child of communism.
Three decades after the “year of miracles” swept across Central and Eastern Europe, it is worth reflecting on what Western institutions can do to keep up the momentum for democratic reform movements around the world. Exposure to American political principles as a student changed the way that I saw the world. But I have been taken aback at the United States’ waning interest in promoting these ideas to a global audience in recent decades. Looking back at the events of 1989 convinces me that the free flow of ideas, West to East, is one of our most potent tools against authoritarianism. The time is right on this 30th anniversary to redouble our advocacy for freedom around the world.”
Pagovski won a scholarship through the U.S. State Department’s “Doors to Diplomacy” program, and studied American constitutional principles through the TFAS Prague program and as a Public Policy Fellow. He has lived in the United States since 2011. You can read Pagovski’s full reflection in the International Policy Digest.
Post of the Week
Another TFAS program is underway in Washington, D.C. this week! Our Capital Semester students moved into their housing on Capitol Hill yesterday and are spending today being welcomed into the TFAS family and touring our Capitol building and National Monuments. Stay tuned for more updates on their semester in the nation’s capital.
Quick Links
Catch upcoming TFAS speaker Brian Brenberg in a Fox & Friends hometown story this Saturday, Jan. 18. You can hear Brenberg speak in person at our “Liberty + the Future” lecture in New York City on Jan. 23. RSVP by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17 to join us.
Faysal Itani ’03, ’06 analyzes the decision to kill Iranian commander Maj-Gen. Qassem Soleimani and the cost of retaliation in a piece for the Center for Global Policy.
Robby Soave, Novak ’17, opines for Reason on how lawsuits with Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann could deter news outlets from “knee-jerk” reporting and misrepresented information in the future.
Help us spread the word by telling aspiring and early-career journalists about the TFAS Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism. The annual Fellowship provides a nine-month internship with The Wall Street Journal’s editorial team, along with a salary of approximately $5,000 per month from The Fund for American Studies. The application deadline is Feb. 10, 2020.
Rym Momtaz ’05, ’07 reports for Politico on Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to convince Pres. Trump to maintain U.S. military presence in Africa
Sarah Sicard ’13 has been named editor of the Army Times.
On Prohibition’s 100th anniversary, TFAS Senior Scholar Dr. Donald Boudreaux wonders if we should expect the same fate for marijuana in a piece he co-authored in The Baltimore Sun. You can hear Boudreaux speak in person at our “Liberty + the Future” lecture in New York City on Jan. 23. RSVP by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17 to join us.
Matthew Walther, Novak ’16, makes the case for a single-day national presidential primary in The Week.
Laura Vanderkam ’99, Novak ’06, a mother of five, includes fellow TFAS alumnus Tim Carney, Novak ’03, father of six, in a New York Times piece on what everyone can learn from the parents of big families.
Abby Witt ’15 is a guest on the “Course of Life” podcast, talking about her role with the PGA tour and her professional experience.
Eliora Katz, PPF ’19, co-authors op-ed in The Hill on relations with Iran following the death of Soleimani.
Chis Moody, Novak ’19, writes for Rebeller about what he discovered during a year of living in a van with no Wi-Fi or access to streaming services.
Christopher White, Novak ’13, reports on Catholic leaders’ involvement in New York anti-semitism march in the Catholic Courier.
Ben Nuelle ’14 reports for AgriPulse on the effects of outcome-based pricing on farmers.
Kat Timpf, Novak ’12, opines for National Review on the constitutionality of the FDA vaping ban.
TFAS Grewcock Senior Scholar Dr. Donald Devine opines in The American Spectator that there will be no bureaucratic drainage of the Washington swamp despite the recent findings of the Inspector General’s investigation of the FBI.
John Gehring, Novak ’98, reflects in the National Catholic Reporter on what he learned during a silent retreat with monks in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Curt Mills, Novak ’18, appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight to discuss the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Maj-Gen. Soleimani.
Tim Carney, Novak ’03, opines in the Washington Examiner on the challenges facing blue-collar workers and why they choose to stay in middle America as opposed to booming cities.
TFAS Senior Scholar Dr. Donald Boudreaux shares his hopes for the new year, decade and beyond in piece for Trib Live. You can hear Boudreaux speak in person at our “Liberty + the Future” lecture in New York City on Jan. 23. RSVP by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17 to join us.
Eric Cohen ’96, ’97, Novak ’00, opines for Mosaic Magazine on how we can learn from Jerusalem how to uphold the values of religious liberty in American society.
Katherine Mangu-Ward, Novak ’05, writes for Reason on the state of politics and prospects for the future.
Haley Britzky ’16 reports for Task & Purpose on personality tests for Army recruits to determine which military specialties fit them the best.
Dagmara Leszkowicz ’05 writes for The First News on what to expect of the Polish economy in 2020.
Courtland Culver ’18 will begin studies at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University this fall.
Jessica Taylor ’05 is joining The Cook Political Report full time as their senator and governors editor.
Kurt Couchman ’02, PPF ’07, opines in The National Interest on how American spending hurts U.S. security and relations with China.
Credit card expert Sienna Kossman ’13 digs deep into credit card debt and how to avoid it for The Balance.